You know who you are! Hiding behind
Before everyone accuses me of being out-of-touch with the times, let me state emphatically that social media, email, texts and other
Let me be more explicit with a few examples.
For loan originators, mortgage sales managers, wholesale account executives, mortgage managers and operations managers who have been in the mortgage financing business for more than five years, you can appreciate the changes in selling. I remember
Almost to the point of stalking and general annoyance, we were constantly fending off these salespeople because of the share volumes of visits. When a salesperson couldn’t get past the “gatekeeper” a phone call would have to suffice. The point being there was a real sales person behind the solicitation or “special offer” communication being made available.
As a national wholesale sales manager for some large companies, I would always ask my account executives to complete call sheets (obviously, this was not their favorite exercise and probably as extinct today as dinosaurs) that had a column for them to check if the contact was an actual visit, phone call or other form of interaction.
My purpose was not to micro-manage, but rather, to encourage personal visits for more effective results. At the very least, I encouraged phone calls as an acceptable alternative—if in fact communication was made with someone capable of doing business with the salesperson.
That being said, if you’re a loan originator when is the last time you had a visit or phone call from a lender’s representative to solicit your business? You account executives (I really dislike that title for a variety of reasons which could be the basis for more than a brief article) out there, when is the last time you walked into a mortgage brokerage office unannounced? For managers and/or owners of mortgage brokerage businesses, when is the last time you were paid a visit from an ancillary business associated with mortgage lending (e.g., a title company, mortgage insurance company, etc.)?
For all of you reading this article, think of how many rate sheets, blast marketing emails or social media contacts you’ve received today. There are many “silent salespeople” vying for your business but only if they can do so without a visit or phone call. Sure, once you’re doing business with a sales person they will eventually answer a phone call (good luck on making initial contact, you’ll have to settle for voice mail) to ascertain the reason for your call. Follow-up by sales people is also a dying discipline.
If you’re a loan originator, when is the last time your account executive called (not emailed) and asked if you were satisfied with the progress of your file? Was there anything that could help with to make your life easier? Do you have anything else they can assist with? These are rhetorical questions.
Invariably, management seldom asks most sales people if they’ve made actual contact with a prospect or client. And, like most people, sales people will endeavor to complete expected tasks (i.e., get new brokers, email contact info, etc.) and usually take the path of least resistance and effort to do more.
If a sales manager doesn’t expect personal contact the practice of the “silent salesperson” will persist. Please, if you’re in management don’t state the obvious—you’re looking at closed production as the measure of someone’s success. Even the most successful sales person can increase production with more effective or additional sales techniques.
There’s not enough space on this page to explain the logic and reasoning behind personal visits and actual phone contacts (e.g., the concept of obligating your prospect, etc.) but suffice it to say, the “silent salesperson” can only aspire to their communicative counterparts. For those responsible for managing production, requesting and monitoring sales visits is not micro-managing, it’s prudent and effective production fundamentals. Try it and enjoy the results.
